Comelec extends ARMM voters’ list-up to Aug. 5

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) extended yesterday the voters’ registration in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) up to Aug. 5 to make sure that nobody is disenfranchised.

This, as political and religious leaders in the region urged the poll body to extend the computerized voters’ list-up but by at least 20 more days.

The registration, which ran for six days until yesterday, got stalled in some areas due to the malfunction of computers used in the automated process.

Until yesterday noon, thousands of voters in Maguindanao, one of the ARMM’s component provinces, lined up in polling precincts in many towns to register.

"There are more people asking that they be allowed to register. Since we do not want to disenfranchise anybody, we are extending it to Aug. 5," said Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr.

But the number of validating machines spread out in Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Marawi City will be reduced from 1,000 to 250 during the extended registration period.

The Comelec earlier decided to conduct a new voters’ registration since the former voters’ list was bloated.

Abalos cited the case of Turtle Island, which had 3,000 registered voters during the last ARMM elections. The area recorded only 300 voters as of yesterday, which was supposedly the last day of the registration.

Abalos wondered why Turtle Island, which is one of the country’s southernmost territories, registered such a high number of voters before when only soldiers were stationed there.

Despite minor irregularities and glitches, Abalos said the ARMM voters’ registration was peaceful.

"It was peaceful because we put out (validating) machines in several areas to allow warring factions to register without seeing each other," he said. — With John Unson